No Love Attached

chapter two : night one with big ben

| No Love Attached |
chapter two : night one with big ben

•••

London was a lot of things. Beautiful. Cold. Historic. Exciting. And did I mention that it was fucking cold?

Upon arriving at the extravagant hotel the company was putting me up at, a small wave of excitement washed over me. It was actually happening. I was helping the London branch of the publishing firm get on its feet for six months. If all goes well in these six months, I'll get to run the New York location.

A young bellhop with a thick accent carried my bags, escorting me down a long hallway with thick, gold carpeting. He came to stop outside of a door that read 1214.

The keycard buzzed us into what may have been the most beautiful hotel room I had ever seen. Dark cherry wood floors, luxury furniture in every room, high white ceiling decorated with a golden chandelier.

"Wow," I said, taking in the rest of my temporary home.

"The kitchen is fully stocked courtesy of Lewis and James Publishing." The young man placed my suitcases in the bedroom.

My eyes scanned the rest of the hotel room. Well, it seemed more like an apartment since it had a rather large living room, kitchen, dining area, and a full bathroom and bedroom. My gaze fell on one small detail in particular.

A pile of magazines resting on the nightstand.

    One specifically stood out to me. I focused a bit more to recognize the face that graced the cover. The lamp illuminated his devilish smirk. Strangely familiar glowing eyes, staring back at mine. Well, except for the fact, they were indeed printed on paper.

   There he was again. "The Bachelor Who Owns New York".

"You have got me to kidding me," I muttered, tossing the Forbes onto the floor, shaking off any guilt that was eager to eat me alive.

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call the front desk. Room service is available twenty-four/seven. We hope you enjoy your stay here at the Fitz-Wells London Hotel."

   I hadn't heard everything he said, but I handed him a generous tip, "Thank you."

   When the bellboy got what he wanted, he quickly exited the room. Leaving me alone in what was to be mine for the next half of a year.

   The emptiness of the glorious, very elegantly decorated space replicated how I felt inside at the moment. Beautiful, dimly lit, and so full that it was empty.

I found myself already counting down the minutes until Penney arrived to help me tomorrow.

I scrolled through my texts and lingered on the last one from my best friend. Least boring date he's ever been on. Despite my anger and guilt, small unwanted pangs of flattery were barging their way into my system.

God, Vera. Get it together. Why was I even still concerned with this topic? Being complimented by men wasn't exactly a foreign thing to me.

I laid there on the fluffy king sized bed, hoping all of my concerns and girlish thoughts would go away.

But the universe just doesn't work that way.